march{76}

Welcome to the relaunch of march76.com. The original plan for this site was to portfolio my work as a web developer. I thought I might find a new career path, coding fancy websites and nifty apps for some cool startup where they offer free beer in the breakroom. I still might. But until I'm ready to make that a serious pursuit, there's a better way for me to utilize this domain.

A new creative spark

Over that last year, I've found a new energy for one of my all-time favorite hobbies. If you read my bio, you know that I got into photography as a teanager. I fell in love with the craft. It's the perfect combination of creativity, skill, and technology. When working with film, you learn to prepare and compose a shot to get it right in the camera. Film costed money and you only have so many frames on a roll. You didn't want to waste a shot, or miss a great moment because you had the wrong exposure. Digital technology emerged as a giant leap for photokind. Film was no longer required. This gave photographers a lot more freedom. You were no longer limited to 36 shots on a roll of film. You didn't have to pay for processing, or process photos in a lab, just to get a single print of an image. You could now save images directly to a memory card, process on a computer, and print as many copies as you like. This meant capturing more images, with better quality, at a much lower cost.,As DSLR's took over the market, I stayed with film. I wanted to make sure I understood the craft, before earning the right to use better technology. Having gained the confidence to consistently create sharp, well-composed images, I inevitably made the leap to digital. I quickly experienced all the benefits of a good DSLR. But I still value and emphasize creating quality images directly in the camera, with every shutter click. Technology is a luxury, not a crutch. The move to digital provided me with more than just a technical boost. I found a new creative spark, having visibility and control of my images from capture through processing. That spark has me contemplating all the possibilities for my photography. It's almost too much to contain.

With great power, comes a new direction

Where can this new technology take my photography? It's a question with infinite answers, all interesting and fun. It's exciting. I'm charging down this new creative path, no holds barred. One obvious answer is to turn my photography into a business venture. I'm certainly not opposed to that. Photography equipment isn't cheap. It would certainly help to generate some income to offset the cost, while providing a service to valued clients. Businesses are risky. You can easily find yourself losing money, which would have a negative impact on other pursuits. Without a doubt, photography is an oversaturated market. Seems like everyone knows a photographer who will gladly take pictures, either as a favor or for very little cost. It's hard to stand out, much less make money. Many photography professionals will simply say "don't even bother". The idea of a fruitful career, based solely on taking photos, isn't a wise choice. I need to do more.,I want my photography to serve a greater purpose, beyond business. I created totespets.com to champion pet rescue and responsible pet ownership. My mission for this site is to provide educational content that advocates for pet welfare. As part of that mission, I'm offering my photo services free of charge to any pet rescue organization. Shelter dogs and cats need quality images to help connect with potential adopters. Those images are posted to online bios and used in marketing materials to raise awareness for local shelters. I get a lot of satisfaction out of voluteering my time and skill. And, what a great way to continue improving my technique! One particular genre of photography that I have yet to explore, is photojournalism. A photographer can tell an interesting story by capturing and assembling a series of images on a subject. As part of my new blog, I'll be attempting to create photo stories. Not only will I need to capture sharp images, I'll have to capture character and convey a message. It's a whole new level of the art. I can't wait to see where it takes me.

A site renewed and repurposed

There are a plethora of ways to build and maintain a website. A long list of website providers offer quick and intuitive ways for anyone to create a website. You can be up and running in no time. But, not so fast. I know how to code a website. Maybe it's the DIY guy in me, or the techie geek, but I like to experience as much of the creative process as possible. Web development is a vastly different medium, with it's own challendges and rewards. I find a lot of fulfillment from both photography and web development. I feel fortunate that I can merge both skills to produce this website.,March76.com will continue to serve as a portfolio site, but for my photography. The structure is fairly simple. The landing page strives to be both eye-catching and easy to navigate. There are pathways to my bio, gallery (portfolio), blog, and a link to directly contact me. My goal is to make this site a doorway into my work as a photographer, as well as a link to network and collaborate.,Thank you, for visiting the site and for taking the time to read through this post. I hope you like the photos. I hope we can work together. I hope you come back.